Smile, Gorgeous
by Blahtoyousir
Summary: AU. "So we're totally calling it Operation Marriage Seduction by Teme, right?" "..Shut up." Because really, who could resist this heartbreaker face?
1. because she still loved him

**Notes:** I don't know where I was going with this. I actually started this piece off in the blackest mood and then abandoned it for awhile but I've been getting back into the fandom, so here's my contribution. Don't hate me.

**Notes2: **I frickin love Itachi so he's not dead. He was left for dead at the fight place and Sasuke is whisked off by Tobi but Kisame saves his ass by handing him over to Konoha with the truth. Itachi is healed, pardoned, and reinstated as Konoha nin. I can do this because I am the author (of this fic), mwahaha.

**Notes3: **Tobias is a FUCKING LITTLE SHIT but he is a plot mover, so I left him. Feh. But Itachi stops Sasuke at Kage Summit and brings his ass back. Yeah.

**Disclaimer:** I WISH I owned Naruto. Because there would be happy feels everywhere and none of this angsty angst. Aren't they like, 17? Dude. Not cool.

**Summary: **AU. "So we're totally calling it Operation Marriage Seduction by Teme, right?" "..Shut up." Because who could resist this heartbreaker face?

* * *

It was self preservation. That was what she told herself, even if she didn't really believe it.

"Go away," she hissed. Snakes struck out when cornered, right?

"No." His voice coursed over her and it was so damn familiar that she involuntarily relaxed for just a second. But her walls and guards and damn frickin mazes were re-erected the next second.

That one second gave him enough to work with, unfortunately.

"Let me help." That stupid, self-reassured voice, with its naturally deep tones and confidence ringing very clearly in her ear. It bounced in her brain, haphazardly sending her back to stolen moments in which she could have pretended, if only for a little while.

She could have recognized that voice in a violent sandstorm. Damn it and damn him to hell.

"I don't want your help," she spat, her vision clouding and _why could she still see him?_

"Want and need are very different things. You **need** my help."

At that her vision exploded with clarity and she laughed, a derisive and wheezy sham of the dulcet tones she usually expelled. His eyebrows furrowed just so at the semi-harsh sound but he didn't interrupt her as she said, "Of course, I need my precious Sasuke-kun to protect me because I'm just weak, _annoying,_ little Sakura, right? Don't make me laugh."

He didn't point out that she had in fact already laughed at his suggestion because he refused to call the sounds she made a laugh.

Instead, he tried to reason with her. Which seemed to piss her off even more.

"You will die."

She rolled her eyes at that and struck, a low blow worthy of Neji, which in all honesty, wasn't fair because Neji never betrayed them and left to go training with the most twisted individual Konoha had ever expelled. And Neji had never left her on a stone bench in the middle of the night, vulnerable to any attack.

"I'm sorry, did I hear that right? Our esteemed Uchiha worrying for little ol' me when I distinctly recall him not caring about anything but revenge? In fact, I just remembered how you almost killed me with my own kunai when we were sixteen. Kage Summit, remember?"

Sasuke's forehead twitched just slightly, the closest to a wince she would ever get from him. Seconds passed as Sakura waited for his reply. When she was certain she would not get one, she sharply turned back to her pack, stuffing her medic scrolls into the secure belly of the bag as she lined its inner pockets with extra weapons and soldier pills as well as blood-replenishing pellets. She went over the details of her mission in her head again as she absentmindedly worked, her hands already going into auto-pilot. The young Uchiha behind her had clearly been dismissed, both physically and mentally by the pinkette. Sakura heard the slight rustle of cloth and assumed Sasuke had left, so when she turned around to reach for the senbon she'd left on the desk as a reminder, she had not expected him to still be there. Consequently, she startled and dropped the kunai she'd been holding. Had it not been for the Uchiha's swift reaction, Sakura would have surely been impaled in the foot already.

'That would have been painful. They don't respond well to chakra so I would have had a hard time healing them by myself as well,' Sakura thought. Then her eyes refocused on Sasuke, who was too close. Her chest ached for this stupid little heartbreaker with the tooserious eyes and firm mouth and dammit, she was better than that- _she had to stop- _but her eyes unconsciously traced his features, mentally comparing this boyman with the child she'd trained with when they'd been young and foolish and ironically enough, full of life. His skin was still unfairly smooth and he still retained his aristocratic bearings and that aloofness that never seemed to leave him, even in the midst of battle and she recalled her own freckled skin with something close to self-consciousness.

Sasuke quietly let her examine him, knowing this was the closest he'd gotten to her since his return to Konoha and he made his own little observations, from her tiny height (were all women that diminutive or was she the exception?) to her clear greenwhitegreen eyes that always flashed or flooded with emotion, so much emotion in this tiny little creature, and was she really Sakura? The Sakura he imagined, the Sakura he knew from the days of sunlight and D-rank missions and little bruises was closer to him in height and had longer hair, longlong hair that reminded him of soft words and 'it's okay's, and he recalled instances where he'd leapt to stand in front of her, to protect this little imitation of his mother because really, she was all he'd had; _they were all that he'd had_.

Sakura recovered quickly (too quickly, her traitorous Inner whispered) and stepped back, blinking and hiding her emotions again. Sasuke had the irrational urge to step closer, closer and near her again, invade her personal space and fill her thoughts with him again because that was how it was supposed to be. But he didn't because this Sakura was not his Sakura and he didn't know how to react to this new being. Cautious, cautious, the voice in his head (which was a strange mixture of Naruto and that seriously racked Hokage) advised. He'd bide his time. But he wasn't letting her go on this mission alone, because she was still Sakura and she still needed his protection. Stupid girl.

He silently handed her the kunai and gave her a **look** that basically warned her not to defy him and she glared at him, daring him to just try to stop her. He almost pursed his lips at the small display of resistance but Uchiha's did not, by God, pout, and he was a frickin Uchiha so he was going to have to be crafty and sly and seriously, he was a ninja, he knew how.

"You're not going alone. If you do not want me to go, then at least allow Naruto to accompany you. If not, he will worry and might go on a rampage," he finally reasoned, knowing it was cheap to use the dobe like that but if she was going to be stubborn he had to change his approach.

Unfortunately, this Sakura wasn't as weak-hearted as his old Sakura and scoffed, retorting, "Naruto knows I can handle myself. I've beaten his ass enough times to prove it."

"Naruto never fought you seriously," he pointed out reasonably (in his mind.)

Wrong thing to say though. Sakura's eyes flashed dangerously and she hissed, "Are you implying that I'm _weak_, Sasuke?"

Sasuke stubbornly held eye contact, knowing his silence was enough answer. Sakura's jaw dropped in stunned anger and she absolutely exploded at him.

"Listen, you _ass, _I can handle my own fights, I can take care of myself, and I am most definitely not weak! Just because I don't have insane chakra reserves like Naruto or the prestigious blood limits you're blessed with does not mean I'm subpar to either of you! I can kick Naruto's ass any day of the weak and I would wipe the floor with you if I really wanted to so you can shove your Sharingan up your ass, you conceited prick!"

Sakura cursed a bit more at the idiot Uchiha before she finally decided to give her blood pressure a break and just grabbed her pack to leave. She shoved past the self-named avenger and stormed out of her apartment before stomping down the stairs with said avenger trailing her, slightly lost.

They continued to the gates in silence, Sakura ignoring Sasuke and Sasuke wisely shutting up about her mission. At the sight of the familiar wooden doors and looming Fire symbol, Sakura breathed a small sigh of relief, smiling at the guard as she waved to the artist ninja leaning against the gate. Sai smiled blankly back though she saw the affection in his eyes as he greeted her. Sasuke might've growled at him but she steadfastly ignored him in favor of checking to make sure everything was prepared for their mission.

"Will the dickless's lover be accompanying us?" Sai inquired politely, noting the traitor's presence among their numbers. Sakura laughed before replying, "No, Uchiha's just worried I'm gonna fall down a ditch or something. Let's go!" She tugged on Sai's arm to urge him in their direction of travel. Sasuke stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to glare at him, one eyebrow arched in question.

There were a lot of things he wanted to say. I'm sorry. I never forgot either of you. I'm stupid and you have a right to be angry. I miss you. I lo-

He settled on a gruff, "Be careful," and Sakura might've seen the slight panic and worry in his eyes because she didn't snap, didn't reply sarcastically, just nodded once. It wasn't even much, not the bright smile she used to carelessly shoot at him, but he knew her reaction could've been worse so he accepted it and let go. Sakura turned once more and shot off, knowing Sai would catch up. Sai shot him a look- one Sasuke didn't want to analyze- and followed, not bothering with any farewells.

They weren't there yet.


	2. a pocket full of posies

**Notes: **I've got "Thinking About You- Gabe Bondoc" on the brain. Holla.

**Notes2: **I'm experimenting with format, so this is gonna be a little floppy. A thousand pardons.

**Notes3: **I really like the idea of 50themes. This is dedicated to Team 7, yo.

**Notes4: **Due to some serious writer's blockage, it's been shortened to 30themes.

D**isclaimer: **Disclaimed.

* * *

**Consequences**

It wasn't his fault but they liked to believe it was because they needed something to fling their emotions at, needed something to persecute and it was funny, they never seemed to realize that they were just hating another victim of the attack. They lived with haunting memories of claws and tails that razed mountains and he grew up with memories of sneers and always swinging alone alone alone, and he hated them sometimes but then Iruka bled to protect him and Kakashi acknowledged his slick maverick-ness-ity, and Sakura encouraged him to "GET UP, NARUTO, YOU IDIOT" and Sasuke was his brother/rival/fellow tree hugger. So he didn't hate anymore. He loved, actually.

**Forehead**

She was smart, they told her. She was good with rules and learning and it was all safe. But she wanted to be a kunoichi, and kunoichi weren't _safe_, they were lethal, seductive, and **on point.**

**Replacement**

He was temporary and he knew it. They were always looking at the Uchiha and he understood that he had to leave one day, relinquish the spot by their side. He found himself reluctant, found himself almost wishing to be the one they would look at with such affection. How silly.

**Ghost Halls**

He was, to put it in Naruto's terms (crude, rustic boy), _frickin loaded._ Being the second heir to the prestigious clan that predated Konoha's existence had its perks. Like a huge compound that took up an entire section of town. And ridiculously soft beds with an obscene thread count. But he would give it all up if they'd let him, would gladly leave the walls stained with blood and phantom screams and memories that left him in the middle of the night wetly gasping and sobbing, curled and pathetic, and really, all the money in the world couldn't buy him inner peace or any of that feng shui crap.

**Mednin**

Her teammates were a demon and a class A PTSD victim and she was going to save them because she wasn't _stupid;_ they were hurting little boys and she could heal them. Maybe with bandages, maybe with smiles that didn't ever ever judge and put all blank canvas to shame. They were **hers**, and she wasn't about to let go.

**Rock**

It was supposed to be in remembrance of their contributions, or some other drivel like that. But all it did was obnoxiously remind people that yes, _some _people did _some_thing in the war that merited a second glance. But what did they do? No mention of that. No actual recording in history, just "Oh yes, terrible war that waged from soandso to soandso, mmhm." No real consolation to people who had loved these names, who had eaten at the same table and laughed with these names. Monuments were stupid, he concluded.

**Nindo**

People thought there was no honor in the ninja way, with all its covert operations and warfare and bloody rebellions. But that was a lie. There was no honor in the politics that embroiled the ninja way. There was no honor in killing your own mother for a council of elders more interested in protecting their own necks as opposed to the village of civilians they "represented".

**Feel**

He did not like to paint. It was just a past time that his brother had introduced. But sometimes, when he was mindlessly drawing and suddenly stopped to look at his progress, he was stunned to see the image brimming with _something_, something colorful and warm and just fuzzies inducing. It wasn't with any surprise that the subject was usually the hag and dickless.

**Gamble**

She'd lost her brother and lover to the cursed necklace and it sounded cliché but she lost herself for a bit too. Then there was a lot of orange and blue and stupid wagers with snot nosed brats who might've been a little too loud and all of a sudden she felt the urge to place another ludicrous bet.

**Abomination**

When he was a kid, his foster grandma liked to tell him that his very existence was an insult to God and it wasn't _right_, wasn't acceptable. Then his foster mom would laugh in her face and tell her, "We can summon a god and we live and fight for death herself. What makes you think we're not delusional enough to play with life, either? He was created in a lab but he's as flesh and blood as you are. So hush and drink your soup."

**Polite**

He was socially awkward and the books never seemed to help. It was, dare he say it, slightly distressing because he kind of wanted to connect with these strange idiots who felt too much. But he didn't really need to worry because they were just too happy to smash his ideals of interaction and loudly corrected his faux pas behavior and explained "normal" when they weren't normal themselves. But he still liked them.

**Cage**

He might've been trapped in the belly of a brat who seemed to drink expired milk too often but he wasn't cut off from the outside world. He saw what the brat saw, was offered insight into the little idiot's thoughts and he knew deep down that this time, it was going to be different.

**Web **

Itachi was an seriously knocked in the head if he really believed he could've kept the truth hidden. Tobi's entrance into Akatsuki was a trigger happy gun pointed straight at Sasuke and Konoha and he thanked God everyday that he made it on time and that he had his foolish little brother back.

**Waning Crescent**

The night he returned the moon cycle was just about to renew. He didn't know why he noticed it (closet sap) but when he told Itachi, he'd just smiled softly and poked him on the forehead with a lighthearted "Don't be romantic Sasuke, the moon doesn't care what you do."

**Sushi **

Akatsuki weren't known for their affections or their loyalty (c'mon, a mass group of missing nin intent on raining war on ALL the nations?) but Kisame was a closet affection squirrel who pegged Itachi for the soft man he was the first time they'd met and had, oh dear sweet gibblets, he might've grown slightly_ fond_ of the little red eye. God, he was getting old.

**Youthful Spring Time**

They were young (but they felt so old) and they indulged in stupid adventures every once in awhile. It used to be "Movie Night" at Naruto's house, started by dragging over a reluctant Sakura, a kicking-the-entire-way Sasuke, and a verily amused Kakashi-sensei but it always ended in breathless laughter and escaping from the police. Now it included a socially retarded artist with a too short belly shirt and a genetic experiment with scary eyes but the end result was still the same. Except more drunk, cause Kakashi-sensei was a shameless bitch who didn't mind underage drinking.

**Scum **

You don't abandon comrades. That was just. Not. Done. (Lesson courtesy of a crybaby Uchiha and legendary White Fang.)

**Treason**

Surprising enough, Sasuke had gotten off easy with three months of house arrest and then reinstatement as a Konoha genin. It mostly had to do with Tsunade's gratitude for a reason to strip the Elders of their position under the account of treason against the orders of the Hokage. No one said anything when they were mysteriously assassinated in their homes because Sasuke had been under house arrest at the time with a full Anbu escort so of course it couldn't have been him.

**Bubblegum Pink**

Her hair always gave her a distinct edge on looks and she'd used to hate it until Ino had given her the red hairband and told her she looked _good._ Then she'd developed that silly crush on Sasuke and she'd privately thought that pink really complemented blue.

**Noodles**

Teuchi had been minding his own business when he saw the lost little boy wandering the streets. He'd thought the kid looked a little underfed so, on a whim, had asked if he was hungry. When Naruto was 8, with super bright hair and blue eyes reminiscent of his father and the sass of his mother, he'd had his first bowl of ramen. It was unbelievably warm.

**Shuriken**

People knew to fear him when he drew Kusanagi but Sasuke actually preferred shuriken because he was a sentimental kind of guy who liked to remember soft guidance and indulgent smiles.

**Paradise **

He was one of the most skilled ninja Konoha called its own and had been Hokage at one point in his life. He _saw_ things. So he had a vice that involved _erotic fiction_, what about it? He needed to find happiness somewhere and really, Naruto's idiocy only went so far on the amusement scale (to be fair, it went pretty far.)

**Porcelain **

Sasuke knew she'd gotten "strong" but he hadn't thought it would include a newfound ability to rip trees from their roots and then swing them at him at 80 miles per hour. Naruto'd laughed out loud at the stunned shitless expression on Sasuke's face before privately deciding Sasuke was gonna be so _whipped_ when they started dating.

**Anxiety **

Sometimes, when she was finishing some paperwork or shopping for groceries, Sakura would suddenly be hit with a pocket of airless emotion that wasn't ennui or anxiety but she couldn't help but feel the need for something to do, anything. At the same time, her limbs would grow heavy with lethargy and her mind would be screaming wordlessly. She'd grown used to the strange bouts of disorder to her emotional state and had actually managed to control them until Sasuke had returned. Then the attacks started up again.

**Dynamics**

Sakura really liked hanging out with Shikamaru and Neji because Neji always offered a surprisingly comfortable shoulder to rest on when she needed to vent and Shikamaru had a subtle, weird sense of humor. Neji helped her with her fighting and Shikamaru pointed holes in her tactics and she reciprocated with a no-questions-asked policy of healing and stupid jokes that managed to place a small smile on their face. They were the ones who understood that Sakura was human the best out of the Rookie Nine and never seemed to scorn her for not being as forgiving as Naruto had been. Neji and Shikamaru were pretty damn loyal actually, and always provided a buffer when she'd had to interact with the Uchiha in the earlier days of his return. They were more than happy to play the professional cockblockers when Sasuke would finally decide to get his shit together.

**Virgin **

Sasuke was pretty disturbed at the fact that too many people were getting pretty interested in his love life (coughNARUTO&TSUNADEcough) and he was pretty sure he'd seen _Itachi_ make a bet with Naruto on whether he'd ever "hit that" or not. He didn't know whether to take it as an insult or compliment when Naruto placed four bucks on a year until he "popped his overripe, probably rotting cherry".

**Peppermint**

Sakura had never been satisfied with store bought shampoos and conditioners because they tended to leave her hair soft but _frizzy._ Envious of Neji's decidedly godlike locks, she'd asked his secret. He'd stared at her for a good three minutes, then subtly checked their surroundings to make sure there weren't any spies lurking before beckoning Sakura to follow him on a notsuspiciouskeepitmovingpeo ple walk that led to his room, where he locked all doors and covered all windows before handing her an innocuous 50ml bottle of blue shampoo. She'd sniffed it with no small amount of trepidation before she was pleasantly surprised by the waft of peppermint floating from the obviously homemade concoction. 5 week days later, her hair was bodaciously rocking and she'd received many compliments on the minty fresh smell. It paid to have friends with awesome hair.

**Grill It **

Konoha was tropical and with tropical came summer weather perfect for outdoor bbq's. Naruto was determined to have a hangout with bbq and had successfully roped Itachi into manning the grill with the requisite "Kiss the Sexy Cook" apron. Itachi's deadpan had never looked more hilarious as he very seriously flipped the burgers and neatly pressed them onto prepared hamburger buns to be distributed to ravenous ninja who all didn't know how to cook to save their lives.

**Cherry Stained Lips **

Sasuke was, for all intents and purposes, a healthy male with an existent libido. He preferred to act like a sexless christmas ornament because he didn't want to alert anybody to the fact that he even had hormones. People were already hitting on him, their efforts would _double _if they got any inkling of a chance of him reciprocating affections. But really, did Sakura have to eat those damn popsicles in front of him all the time? It wasn't even the pseudo act of fellatio that aroused him, it was the fact that afterwords, her lips would be so GD plump and _red. _He needed a cold shower. Like now.

**Physics **

Geniuses weren't geniuses in all fields. Shikamaru was terrible at knitting. Chouji couldn't build a toothpick fort to save his life. Neji's depth perception was always slightly off. But Sasuke felt like he'd drawn the short stick when he had to have Naruto explain high school physics to him for remedial classes. What was the world coming to?

* * *

So yeah, that was it. Haha, it's pretty unedited so if you see any mistakes, please point them out! Comment on the writing style? Like I said, it's all experimental and I need the tips. What do you guys think of leaving little prompts for a continuation as well? They could be mini interludes in the story, cause I'm pretty much making it up as a go. :)


	3. because sometimes she didn't love him

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of its affiliated franchise. All rights go to Kishimoto Masashi.

**Notes:** It's weird writing interactions between any of the characters because I've mostly seen Naruto and Sasuke, haha. I hope this wasn't too out of character.

**Notes2:** I really love Sai as a character and wish there'd been more of him in the canon. ;_;

**Notes3: **Thank you for the kind reviews and subscribes, they really make my day!

* * *

"I do not understand why you have not forgiven him."

Sakura looked up at Sai, startled at the sudden break in their amiable silence. He sat across the campfire, patiently waiting for her reaction to his blunt question statement. They had been taking a break from traveling after completing their mission with bare minimum conflict (which she was grateful for).

Sakura just wanted to cook fish, eat, and then fall asleep. She was tired and didn't want to analyze her feelings for the Uchiha, nor did she want to confuse the innocent Sai with her emotions. To be fair though, Sai had proven to be a good listener in the past and she trusted him to understand.

She began softly, hesitantly, slightly stumbling over words as she tried to make sense of her justifications.

"I-I don't know either, Sai. I hate that I can't definitively say I forgive him, or that I hate him, or that I love him. I want to forget that he tried to kill Naruto, I want to remember that he fought for us at one point, and I want to understand that he honestly believed Konoha was too _slow_ for him in his pursuit of redemption.

But it was so** immature**, his reasoning. It wasn't noble, or sane, or even selfish. Everything was just so frickin messed up and he started to really believe that he was meant to be an 'avenger' and that his 'bonds', his friends, his _body _didn't matter, so long as he got what he wanted. Suggestive reasoning at its finest."

Sakura paused and looked up at Sai. Sai looked back at her and nodded, showing her that he understood so far.

Reassured, Sakura continued, her voice more heated, "He got desperate, caught up in his brother's expectations of him, and tried to cheat. Sure, it worked out, he got stronger and killed Orochimaru, but then he ran for Itachi and he didn't take us.

We'd shown him that we'd tried to grow up with him, but he didn't want that. He still saw us as that obnoxious midget and the annoying fangirl. so he tried to assemble a more 'mature' team, one that wouldn't question him, or, god forbid, form bonds with him. I don't care what everyone else says, they were **not** our replacements. We didn't matter enough for him to replace."

She cut off at that point, her body violently trembling with all the insecurity, the hurt, the jealousy she'd been holding back until then. Her throat burned with bile as she tried to control her breathing and she couldn't freaking see again. Then a slight movement next to her, a side pressed firmly against hers, shoulder to shoulder, arm to arm, and she suddenly wanted to laugh. Or cry.

Instead, she tried to focus on Sai's face, carefully composed with his cheeks cushioned as he tried for a small smile, and explained, "Hinata-san explained that, sometimes, women are more comforted by touch rather than words. Would you like a hug?"

Sakura shook her head but dropped her head onto Sai's shoulder and burrowed her face into his neck, shuffling a little closer. He smelled like sweat and dirt with the acidic tang of ink. Sai didn't twitch or indicate any displeasure on his part so she let herself rest on him for a couple of minutes, trying to form a valid reason for why she couldn't stand to look at Sasuke for more than was polite, or be in his presence without Naruto or Kaka-sensei or Shikaface and Neji. Her thoughts kept running in circles and finally she just decided to vent a little.

She bit her lip, hesitant once again, but then blurted out, "Truthfully, I don't think I can still believe he's still our teammate."

Sai made a small noise of confusion. Sakura elaborated, "When I heard he came back because Itachi brought him back, I was disappointed but not surprised. At that moment, I was very aware that Naruto and I would never have gotten through to him. Even until the end, it's always been about Itachi."

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, willing herself to quell her petty jealousy of the deep influence between the two Uchiha. Sasuke deserved to have his brother back. They had their issues, but they honestly loved each other and that was something to rejoice in, not be jealous at.

Sai analyzed Sakura's facial expressions, comparing them with past experiences of discussing the Uchiha and something seemed to click in his mind. After a drowsy pause, he asked, "You previously expressed complete faith in the bonds that you shared with him. It does not seem to be the same now. Do you still trust him?"

Sakura considered the question. Did she still have it in her to put faith in someone who had never really wanted it? It strangely felt like she was imposing on him, like giving him a cat and telling him to take good care of it. It wasn't like that. She didn't want it to be like that.

"No." she decided. Sai stayed silent and Sakura repeated, more softly, "No, I don't trust Sasuke Uchiha anymore."

They sat suspended in silence for awhile longer, neither willing to continue with the topic. After he deemed it socially acceptable, Sai gently nudged Sakura awake and thanked her for speaking honestly with him. He suggested they rest because they would have to travel without stopping the next day and it seemed that Ugly needed all the rest she could get. Sakura nodded wordlessly, too tired to do anything but lightly punch him for the unnecessary comment, and crawled into her sleeping bag, facing away from the fire.

Sai continued to stoke the flames, reviewing the new information he'd recently obtained. It seemed he would have to be more wary of Sasuke Uchiha in the future if Sakura could no longer trust him. But was that wise? Considering Sasuke Uchiha's delicate psyche, it wouldn't be abnormal to expect a violent reaction to the news that his friendship was no longer welcome. But it wouldn't be entirely sudden. Sakura had been polite in most of her encounters with Sasuke after his return, but nothing more than superficially cordial. Sasuke must have understood the shift in their dynamics.

Sai thought back to Sasuke's reaction to Sakura's departure, at the front gates. No, it seemed the Uchiha didn't understand yet. That was unfortunate, and Sai was not looking forward to the fallout. How would Naruto react? Would he blame Sakura? Sasuke? Himself?

Knowing Dickless's unfortunate character, he would blame himself and then resolve to do everything in his power to counsel the other two to catharsis. Sai hoped it involved babies. He'd heard that they were therapeutic in nature.


End file.
